Homebrewing

Q: How is American Beer similar to making love in a canoe?
A: Both are fucking close to water!

That little joke (yes, "stolen" from Monty Python's 'Live at the Hollywood Bowl') reflected the truth to a frightening degree, until relatively recently, when micro breweries began to make their reappearance in the United States and revived the art of brewing quality beer. Sadly, the popularity of micro brews in the US irks the big, commercial breweries (it cuts into their profits!) and so they buy up micro breweries, turn them into big breweries (with commensurately diminished quality), and then try to sell you their stuff under a new label.

Art cannot be manufactured en masse!

Index of topics:

1. Common questions about home brewing
2. Index of my own brews
3. Links to other sites

Cheers!

Common questions about home brewing

Is it legal to brew your own beer at home?

Absolutely! So long as you're old enough to legally buy beer, you can brew up to 100 US gallons (387.5 liters) of beer per year. That's a lot of beer!

Does homebrewed beer actually taste good?

Better than you may imagine! Your first batch may not be the delight and envy of all your friends (although my first one did earn me praises) but much as with fine cooking, you get better with it the more you brew, and you'll be surprised how truly good your beer can be, how fresh and how tasty real beer can be!

What does it cost to get started?

The startup costs for the equipment can run you anywhere from US$30 to US$120 depending how serious you consider yourself to be, and how much trouble you want to avoid from the start. I spent about US$100 on equipment. I could have done with US$70 but chose to get a few extras to make my life easier.

And what does each batch of beer cost to brew?

It depends greatly on the type of beer you want to brew. I tend to spend between US$20 and US$35 on a batch of beer. That gets me just about two cases (24 bottles, each 12 fl.oz (355 ml)) of beer. If you brew exotic fruit beers, you could spend much more!

How long does it take to brew?

I tend to spend about 4 hours on a batch of beer, including the time to cool the wort and pitch the yeast to get fermentation going. After that it stays in the fermenter for a week or two, goes into the bottles (perhaps 1 hour of work) and is usually ready to drink a week or two after that. All in all, five hours of your time and two to three weeks, perhaps more, to enjoy your first bottle of homebrewed beer.

How long can I store beer?

If you keep beer at relatively cool temperatures, let's say 50-60°F (10-16°C), the beer will stay fresh for many months. Some people report finding a six-pack in the garage after years and discovering it to be superb! Homebrew will continue to age in the bottles (yes, like wine!) and some styles can take many months, even years(!) before coming into their prime!

Can I make money with my beer?

No! Unless you have a license to sell alcohol, you cannot sell homebrew. Of course, you can share your homebrewed beer with friends, give some bottles as a gift, or trade your brew against theirs.

Cheers!

Index of my Brews

1. Geyser Stout - My first beer!
2. Icebreaker Ale - An absolutely delicious holiday ale.
3. Tusk Porter - Similar to my first.
4. Hoppy I.P.A. - Hoppy indeed!!
5. Titanic Icebreaker Ale - This year's version of Icebreaker Ale.
6. Walrus Bitter - An english bitter; something different.
7. Hoppy I.P.A. - The 1996 version.

#1 - Walrus Geyser Stout

Named for a boil-over during brewing.

My first beer was based on Charlie Papazian's "Toad Spit Stout." I messed up and got Wheat Malt Extract Syrup instead of Dark Malt... I worried needlessly. The stuff came out wonderful! Good body, nice head, and in some ways surprisingly close to how I remember Guinness Extra Stout from my last trip to Ireland.

Amount remaining: none.

#2 - Walrus Icebreaker Holiday Ale

Named for its strength (6%) and in keeping with the "Walrus Theme."

Also based on one of Papazian's recipes, namely "Holiday Cheer," this one contained a lot of fresh ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, etc. When I first tried it, it was far too heavy on the ginger, but it has mellowed considerably in the last few months (it's supposed to age for many months before being really ready to enjoy) so I can definitely call this one my 2nd success in a row!

Amount remaining: none. Drank the last two bottles in June 1996, 20 months after brewing. It was well worth the wait!!

#3 - Walrus Tusk Porter

Named mostly in an attempt to stay once more with the "Walrus Theme."

My third is a significant variation on Papazian's "Sparrowhawk Porter," which is my first attempt to deviate a lot from a beer recipe, and experiment with four different hops for bittering, aroma, and bouquet. It came out of the fermenter almost perfectly enjoyable and within days began rounding out quite nicely. I have (correction: had) a hard time not to drink a bottle or two every night.

Amount remaining: none.

#4 - Walrus Hoppy I.P.A.

Is this a great name, or what?

This one is a bitter and highly hopped I.P.A. (India Pale Ale) which has been behaving a little funny in the fermenter, but smells quite wonderful. I've experimented with dry hopping and a long secondary fermentation before bottling.

I was almost overwhelmed by the smell of hops on this brew when I bottled it. This one is a bitter one and sweet at the same time, a really powerful combination. The toasted malt gives it a very intense red color. This one promises to be a good one again. Wow!

Almost two weeks after bottling, this brew has settled into a delicious, but not overpowering hoppiness. I've never had a beer so noticably strong with the taste and aroma of hops. It's just incredible, and definitely unique!

Look, ma! I'm a hophead now!

Amount remaining: none.

#5 - Walrus Titanic Icebreaker Holiday Ale

A mouthful!

Boiled-over twice (the stove was a total disaster afterwards, hence the "Titanic" in the name), but never boiled long enough to achieve a definite hotbreak; this one has lots of precipitate still in the bottles. It seems rather thick, but is very heady and sweet, quite reminiscent of some Barley Wines I've tasted. It turned out quite different from last year's brew, but if last year's version can be taken for any guidance, it's character will continue to change, mellow, straighten out. I have not given up hope for this one. Indeed, it has the potential to become one fine brew, given only sufficient time (heck, last year's brew was somewhat difficult to enjoy for the first month or two.)

Amount remaining: 3 1-liter bottles.

#6 - Walrus Bitter

A slightly bitterer version of an English Bitter

This one took three weeks to come into its prime (and it may still not be quite there, who knows?) It was just a bit too bitter at first to be truly enjoyable, but I had me some (1 liter) last night and am pleasantly surprised.

Either I'm easy to please or I've been lucky so far. It could also be that German Brewer's Blood in my veins ;-) Yeah, right, it's more like there's blood in my alcohol-system...

Amount remaining: none

#7 - Walrus Hoppy I.P.A. '96

Amount remaining: 12 1-liter bottles, 1 ½-liter bottle.

Links to other sites

• Lots of brain-fermentable stuff about brewing can be found at the Brewery.
• Downloading beer? Click here!
• Take a look at some homebrewer's beer labels

Udo Schuermann <walrus@wam.umd.edu>